Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office officials patrolling the east bank of Jefferson Parish said things have been pretty quiet in advance of Hurricane Isaac's arrival. Chief Deputy John Thevenot, commander of east bank operations for the department during the storm said there have been no reports or looting or other criminal activity.

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A new shift of deputies went on duty across the parish at 6 p.m. to begin the next 12-hour stint of specialized storm patrols. Thevenot said an additional 80 deputies from the department's investigations bureau and other specialized divisions bolstered the day watch's usual compliment 56 patrol deputies.

"These officers are assigned to small areas within the 1st and 4th Districts, and they are confined to those areas," Thevenot said. "They are tasked with aggressively patrolling areas, looking for suspicious activity and things that are out of place, as well as any type of services that they can provide to our citizens."

Residents in Metairie and Kenner enjoyed some sunshine and slight winds for most of the day. While traffic was no where near normal levels of congestion, there were a fair number of vehicles on the roadways as residents ventured out on last-minute supply runs or grabbed a hot meal from the handful of restaurants that were still open through the afternoon.

Isaac began to makes its presence felt in East Jefferson just after 3 p.m. with darkening skies, stronger wind gusts and spotty rainfall. As the new shift of deputies took to the streets at 6 p.m., reports of power outages began to trickle in.

Thevenot said it seems the vast majority of residents decided not to evacuate. That will somewhat minimize the risk of burglaries because residents will be home to protect their property. Still, deputies will be out in force tonight to patrol the streets. "We are going to have a tremendous law enforcement presence," Thevenot said.